Claims
- 1. Apparatus for managing and authorizing rights associated with compound works that have other works with associated rights contained therein, the apparatus comprising:
a work relation table that has a record that relates each work that is contained in another work with that other work; means responsive to a request for rights authorization to a desired work for searching the work relation table to determine whether the desired work is contained in another work; and means responsive to a determination that the desired work is contained in another work for determining whether rights are available for the desired work.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for determining whether rights are available for the desired work comprises means operable when rights are not available for the desired work for determining whether means are available for a work that contains the desired work.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for searching the work table comprises means for searching the work relation table starting with a work to determine whether the desired work is contained within that work.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a works table that has a record for each work.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the works table includes information taken from the work content.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the information taken from the work content includes the title of the work.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a work is a photograph and the information taken from the work content includes a coded image of the photograph.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an order table containing a record for each right authorization and denial.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the order table contains information identifying a party that placed an order.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the order table contains the status of an order.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means responsive to a request for rights authorization for searching the work relation table comprises means for determining whether the other work is contained in a third work and, if so determining whether rights are available for that third work.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means responsive to a request for rights authorization for searching the work relation table comprises means for recursively searching the work relation table until a work is found for which rights are available.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the means for recursively searching the work relation table generates a right denial if no work is found for which rights are available.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a rights table that has a record for each right and information relating that right to a work and a right holder.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the means responsive to a request for rights authorization for searching the work relation table comprises means responsive to the request for rights authorization for a work for searching the rights table to determine if a right is available for the work before the work relation table is searched.
- 16. Apparatus for managing and authorizing rights associated with compound works that have other works with associated rights contained therein, the apparatus comprising:
a work relation table that has a record that relates each work that is contained in another work with that other work; means responsive to a request for rights authorization to a desired work for searching the work relation table to determine whether the desired work is contained in another work; means responsive to a determination that the desired work is contained in another work for recursively searching the work relation table; and means for granting a right authorization if a work is found for which rights are available and a right denial if no work is found for which rights are available.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising an order table containing a record for each right authorization and denial.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the order table contains information identifying a party that placed an order.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the order table contains information identifying the right that was ordered.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the order table contains the status of an order.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a party table identifying rights holders, individuals, groups and organizations that have a relationship to rights managed by the system.
- 22. A method for managing and authorizing rights associated with compound works that have other works with associated rights contained therein, the method comprising:
(a) providing a work relation table that has a record that relates each work that is contained in another work with that other work; (b) in response to a request for rights authorization to a desired work, searching the work relation table to determine whether the desired work is contained in another work; and (c) in response to a determination that the desired work is contained in another work, determining whether rights are available for the desired work.
- 23. The method of claim 22 wherein step (c) comprises determining whether means are available for a work that contains the desired work when rights are not available for the desired work.
- 24. The method of claim 22 wherein step (b) comprises searching the work relation table starting with a work to determine whether the desired work is contained within that work.
- 25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:
(d) providing a works table that has a record for each work.
- 26. The method of claim 25 wherein step (d) comprises including information taken from the work content in the works table.
- 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the information taken from the work content includes the title of the work.
- 28. The method of claim 26 wherein a work is a photograph and the information taken from the work content includes a coded image of the photograph.
- 29. The method of claim 22 further comprising:
(d) providing an order table containing a record for each right authorization and denial.
- 30. The method of claim 29 wherein the order table contains information identifying a party that placed an order.
- 31. The method of claim 29 wherein the order table contains the status of an order.
- 32. The method of claim 22 wherein step (b) comprises determining whether the other work is contained in a third work and, if so determining whether rights are available for that third work.
- 33. The method of claim 22 wherein step (b) comprises:
(b1) recursively searching the work relation table until a work is found for which rights are available.
- 34. The method of claim 33 wherein step (b1) comprises generating a right denial if no work is found for which rights are available.
- 35. The method of claim 22 further comprising:
(d) providing a rights table that has a record for each right and information relating that right to a work and a right holder.
- 36. The method of claim 35 wherein step (b) comprises searching the rights table to determine if a right is available for the work before the work relation table is searched.
- 37. A method for managing and authorizing rights associated with compound works that have other works with associated rights contained therein, the method comprising:
(a) providing a work relation table that has a record that relates each work that is contained in another work with that other work; (b) in response to a request for rights authorization to a desired work, searching the work relation table to determine whether the desired work is contained in another work; (c) in response to a determination that the desired work is contained in anther work, recursively searching the work relation table; (d) granting a right authorization if a work is found for which rights are available; and (e) granting a right denial if no work is found for which rights are available.
- 38. The method of claim 37 further comprising:
(f) providing an order table containing a record for each right authorization and denial.
- 39. The method of claim 38 wherein the order table contains information identifying a party that placed the order.
- 40. The method of claim 38 wherein the order table contains information identifying the right that was ordered.
- 41. The method of claim 38 wherein the order table contains the status of an 2 order.
- 42. The method of claim 37 further comprising:
(f) providing a party table identifying rights holders, individuals, groups and organizations that have a relationship to rights managed by the system.
- 43. A computer program product for managing and authorizing rights associated with compound works that have other works with associated rights contained therein, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, including:
program code for creating a work relation table that has a record that relates each work that is contained in another work with that other work; program code operable in response to a request for rights authorization to a desired work for searching the work relation table to determine whether the desired work is contained in another work; and program code operable in response to a determination that the desired work is contained in another work for determining whether rights are available for that other work.
- 44. A computer program product for managing and authorizing rights associated with compound works that have other works with associated rights contained therein, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, including:
program code for creating a work relation table that has a record that relates each work that is contained in another work with that other work; program code responsive to a request for rights authorization to a desired work for searching the work relation table to determine whether the desired work is contained in another work; program code responsive to a determination that the desired work is contained in another work for recursively searching the work relation table; and program code for granting a right authorization if a work is found for which rights are available and a right denial if no work is found for which rights are available.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 09/370,953 which was filed on Aug. 10, 1999 by Woodrow W. Johnson, Christine J. Adkins, Jon Yoh and Thomas M. Parece, entitled “Electronic Rights Management and Authorization System” which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/625,905, filed Apr. 1, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,876.
Continuations (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09370953 |
Aug 1999 |
US |
Child |
10617553 |
Jul 2003 |
US |
Parent |
08625905 |
Apr 1996 |
US |
Child |
09370953 |
Aug 1999 |
US |